If you are thinking you missed the boat to get a ceiling fan installed for the summer, you didn’t. Ceiling fans are excellent fixtures for the winter time as well and can actually help save you money on your heating bill. I know, I know, you are probably wondering how a fan will keep you warm in the winter, but it truly can. Your electrician in Burbank will explain. If you would like to learn more about ceiling fans, give The Electric Connection a call and somebody will be happy to talk with you more about it or any other Burbank electrical needs you may have.

Ceiling fans are designed to circulate the air in a house. Yes, they are great for summer because they do stir up the air and create a slight breeze to cool you down. They also move around the air to prevent it from getting stagnant and stuffy, making you feel hotter and more uncomfortable. In the winter, the concept is essentially the same, but the moving air is warm. Heat rises. So all of that warm air coming out of the vents in your floor is rising to the ceiling where you can’t feel it and appreciate it.

Ceiling fans are equipped with a switch to control the direction in which the blades turn. During the summer, you want the blades turning counter-clockwise. This blows air down into a room and gives you that breeze you so desire. In the winter, the blades should turn clockwise. This pulls up the cooler air in the room and pushes down the hot air towards the outer edges of the area. This prevents you from feeling that breeze the fan generates. This keeps the warm air in the room and the thermostat, which is typically on a wall, will register the room is warm enough and will not be forced to kick on the furnace. This is where the energy savings comes in. If you are ready to schedule your ceiling fan installation, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Good News! Electric vehicle-related jobs in Los Angeles grew by 15.3% between 2007 and 2010. While the number of these jobs is still small, totaling a little over 550 in 2100, the growth rate is a hopeful sign and is a small part of the overall growth in our green economy jobs. The growth rate in L.A.’s green economy jobs between 2007 and 2010 was 7.1%, yielding a total of over 89,000 jobs in 2010.

L.A. scored #3 in growth rate for electric vehicle-related jobs between 2007 and 2010, with Kansas City at #1 and Phoenix at #2. “Electric vehicle-related jobs” includes manufacturing of electrical equipment and other parts for electric cars. It doesn’t include, for example, what we at The Electric Connection do, install chargers for electric vehicles (EVs), nor the selling of electric cars. Nor does the 2007-10 growth rate include small companies of 5 or fewer employees. For these reasons, the 15.3% figure for 2007-10 is undoubtedly an underestimate of job growth in the Los Angeles area related to electric cars.

However, the figures are an indication of an exciting phenomenon occurring all over the country — the growth of the green economy. The green economy encompasses recycling, energy audits, solar cells, and other industries which, like EVs, have an environmental benefit. The growth of the green economy benefits not only the environment, but also has a particularly welcome benefit of creating middle income jobs that don’t require higher education.

Yes, many green economy jobs go to environmental engineers, computer programmers, and others who have gone to college. In fact, many of these college-educated people are the innovators who create the green jobs to begin with.

But many green economy jobs, like in the manufacturing of electrical parts for electric cars, don’t require a college education. People are calling them “green collar” jobs — jobs that can be filled by people who might otherwise fruitlessly look for blue collar jobs that have been lost to robots in manufacturing plants or have been shipped overseas to people who make low wages.

We’re experiencing a process that has repeated itself throughout history — innovation seeding job creation. When Scottish engineer James Watt created innovations that made the steam engine useful commercially, he made the Industrial Revolution possible. The Industrial Revolution started with steam-powered textile plants. Textile and other steam-powered manufacturing plants led to the creation of factory jobs, which at that time, required limited education. This allowed subsistence farmers to leave their fields and begin (in an admittedly arduous path!) upward mobility. This was the rise of the Middle Class.

Today, the green economy, created by innovation, yields both green collar jobs and those requiring higher education. The growth of jobs in the EV manufacturing sector in L.A. is good over the long term not only for our environment, but also for our job market, providing work for people with various levels of education.

For more information about the growth of electric vehicle-related jobs in L.A. and the rest of the country as well as other green economy jobs, go to the report, Sizing the Clean Economy, by the Brookings Institution, July 2011.

Click here for more information about installing a charger for your electric vehicle.

A summer in Florida brings about a ton of exciting activities. From the pool to the playground, there’s a lot of adventure to be had! But don’t break out the barbecue just yet! The certified electricians at Hoffman Electrical would like to take a moment to identify some common electrical hazards that can come as a result of all of this summer fun.

Our experts have been bringing our patrons the best in electrical services for years. And in that time nothing has ever been as important to us as your safety! To avoid risks of shock and fire, read along for some safety tips you should put into practice.

Don’t worry, we’re not going to spoil the fun. These tips are quick, easy, and are mostly about taking precautions:

If it’s time to bolster the electrical defenses of your home, look to the certified electricians at Hoffman Electrical! We can ensure your home is safe and shock free this summer, leaving you to have fun in safety! Hoffman Electrical is a family owned and operated business serving the Tampa and Brandon, Florida communities since 1989. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff of electricians install, repair, and perform regular maintenance check-ups in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.